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Zach Edey of the Purdue Boilermakers handles the ball while being guarded by Donovan Clingan of the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game. Edey was the favorite by the 2024 Wooden Award odds all season.
Zach Edey of the Purdue Boilermakers handles the ball while being guarded by Donovan Clingan of the UConn Huskies in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images via AFP.

Purdue Boilermakers star Zach Edey was the runaway favorite for the 2024 Wooden Award all season, according to the college basketball odds from our best March Madness betting sites, and he won it for the second straight time.

For the first time in over 40 years, a college basketball player has been honored with the Wooden Award in back-to-back seasons. Purdue's Zach Edey, who traded as the Wooden Award favorite across our best sports betting sites all season, was named the winner on April 10.

Although Edey fell short against the UConn Huskies in the men's national championship game, he carried the Boilermakers to their first Final Four since 1980 and first NCAA Tournament final appearance since 1969.

Had Purdue knocked off UConn, the March Madness odds favorite, Edey was a lock by the March Madness MVP odds after dropping 37 points in the last collegiate game of his career. While Edey didn't win the national championship, he joins just Ralph Sampson as the only other two-time Wooden Award winner.

Here's a look at the closing odds for the 2024 Wooden Award at our best sports betting sites

Wooden Award odds 2024

(Wooden Award odds as of Feb. 21; they were pulled following the conclusion of the regular season)

PlayerDraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesars
Zach Edey (Purdue)-2500 🔥-3000 -5000 ❄️-3000 
RJ Davis (North Carolina)+3000  +3500+3000  +4000 🔥
Dalton Knecht (Tennessee)+3000 +4000 +5000 🔥+2500 ❄️
Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)+4000+4000 +5000 +5000
Kyle Filipowski (Duke)+6000 ❄️+7500   +8000   +8000
Tristen Newton (UConn)+6000 ❄️+10000 🔥+8000 +8000
Tyler Kolek (Marquette)+7000+7500+15000 🔥+6000 ❄️
Johnell Davis (FAU)+8000 ❄️+20000+20000+20000
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)+8000+7500+10000 🔥+6000 ❄️
Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State)+8000 ❄️+10000+15000+15000

After dominating all of college basketball and winning the Wooden Award in 2022-23, Edey replicated his dominance this season and helped Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season title and a national championship game appearance. He opened as the consensus favorite to win the award in 2023-24 at our best sportsbooks with +175 odds ahead of the season.

Despite Purdue being just the second No. 1 seed to be upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, it had no impact on Edey's Wooden Award odds entering this season and he sat atop the oddsboard all year. It got to a point where it was almost comical that the odds were still up with Edey being such a runaway favorite.

Not only did Purdue have the team success this season, reaching the national championship game, but Edey was even better this season than last. The 7-foor-4 big man averaged 25.2 points per game (up from 22.3 last year), 12.2 rebounds, 2 assists (up from 1.5), and 2.2 blocks in 39 games. The Canadian had the counting numbers to win the award - with the most points and second most rebounds per game in the country - and the analytics back him up.

Edey rated No. 1 in MVP score at EvanMiya and ranked as the most indispensable player in the country. No wonder he had -900 or shorter odds since the beginning of February. He brought his best in the NCAA Tournament, too, averaging 29.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. The question now will be about whether or not he can make it in the NBA.

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Wooden Award odds movement

If you can believe it, Edey actually opened the season with plus-money odds from our best March Madness betting sites, even after winning the Wooden Award last year.

That price didn't last long, and the Purdue star had seen his odds shorten every few weeks as the Boilermakers continued to make their case for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Edey's dominant play is the reason Purdue ended up as the second best team in the country this season. 

The odds were officially pulled in early March with Edey as the heavy favorite to win the award and there was no reasonable way it could go to any other player. His odds went from +175 to as short as -5000 this season and he'll forever be remembered as one of the greatest big men in college basketball history. 

Wooden Award opening odds

Opening odds as of Nov. 6, 2023

NameOdds
Zach Edey+175
Hunter Dickinson+700
Kyle Filipowski+700
Donovan Clingan+1000
Armando Bacot+1400
Tyler Kolek+1400
Caleb Love+2000
Max Abmas+2000
Isiah Collier+2500
Oumar Ballo+2500
Jahmir Young+3500
Tyson Walker+3500
RJ Davis+4000
Ryan Kalkbrenner+4000
Johnell Davis+5000
Justin Moore+5000
LJ Cryer+5000
Tyrese Hunter+5000

Recent Wooden Award winners

YearNameOpening odds
2024Zach Edey, Purdue+175
2023Zach Edey, Purdue+3500
2022Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky+4000
2021Luka Garza, Iowa+250
2020Obi Toppin, DaytonN/A
2019Zion Williamson, DukeN/A
2018Jalen Brunson, VillanovaN/A
2017Frank Mason, KansasN/A
2016Buddy Hield, Oklahoma N/A
2015Frank Kaminsky, WisconsinN/A
2014Doug McDermott, CreightonN/A
2013Trey Burke, MichiganN/A

Wooden Award FAQs

Who won the Wooden Award?

Purdue big man Zach Edey won his second straight Wooden Award, joining Ralph Sampson as the only player to ever win two. Edey was the consensus betting favorite (-2500) to win the 2024 Wooden Award, these odds implied a probability of 96.15% that Edey would win the award again this year.

Who won the Wooden Award last year?

Zach Edey won the Wooden Award during the 2022-23 college basketball season. He opened with +3500 odds to win the award before his prolific season at Purdue.

Who was the last back-to-back Wooden Award winner?

Ralph Sampson of Virginia won the Wooden Award back-to-back for the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.

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